Please Pass the Podcast by Bob Sprankle

I should have put this post up a few weeks ago... before ISTE 2010. Currently, I'm looking hard for either audio (podcast) or video (vodcast) captures of presentations from the conference, and I'm either looking in all the wrong places, or they haven't yet been posted, or they don't exist. I hope I'm just being a "numskull" and you're going to put the link to the entire conference experience in the comments below.

So far, I've found a great link showing a plethora of bloggers writing about the conference (can be found here on the ISTE2010 site), and I've found this wonderful "braindump" from Bud the Teacher and I'm sure I'm going to find others, but if there are videos or audio posted at the actual ISTE site from the conference, then they're not easy to find (I've spent almost an hour there so far today). Again... it could be me. Just call me a "numskull" and send me the link, and I will be most grateful.

I wasn't able to go to ISTE this year (in fact have never had the opportunity), but even if I had attended, I'd still want all those captures of the presentations that I wasn't able to attend, or even the ones I did get to attend in order to re-listen, re-experience, remember.

I've written about this before here (you can find 2 posts in particular: hereand here) and in fact, the former link actually has me putting out a “call to arms” for folks to audio-capture conferences and workshops. The posts describe ways to successfully capture presentations at conferences attended, and even some suggestions on how to share those.

One salient point in both postings is that most presenters will gladly give you permission to podcast their sessions. All you have to do is ask. I have only had 2 people ever refuse the request, and so I've been able to share bundles of other people's amazing presentations at my blog.

Next week, I'm off to my favorite yearly conference: Building Learning Communities put on by the November Learning Group. In the past 3 years that I've attended the conference, I have been able to get permission to podcast every keynote presentation except one. If memory serves, I've been able to podcast every "workshop" presentation I've ever attended at the conference.

Last year, I looked around and I couldn't find any other podcasters. I was never able to find any audio from presentations that I wasn't able to attend (either because I was presenting or in another presentation). I've already spent the early part of this week painfully trying to decide between which presentations I will attend and which ones I will have to miss because they are happening concurrently.

So... here goes my "call to arms" once again. If you are attending the BLC 2010 conference next week, would you please, please, please bring a recording device (again, see this post for ideas of how to record and share) and ask the presenter if you can podcast the session. It's so, so, so much easier than you think: most of you already have phones that can record the session (iPhone people, I'm especially looking at you!).

Also, trust me: most presenters will be honored that you asked and will give you permission.

You can either share them yourselves on your own blogs, wikis, etc. or if you'd rather, you may send them to me and I will give you full credit for the recording of the presentation and post them at my "Bit by Bit" Blog. Simply contact me in the comments section (or email, etc) and I will let you know the easiest way to share the file with me.

Out of the hundreds of presentations that will happen, I usually only get to see (and podcast) about 10 (including my own). I sure would like to be able to catch all the others.